In the bustling city of Macrame, nestled among towering skyscrapers and busy streets, stands a grand and magnificent building, the Macrame Center for Agricultural Genetic Modification, also known as MAGMOD.
MAGMOD is responsible for producing genetically enhanced food products that are essential for feeding the 11 billion people of planet Terra.
Ever since the human population reached 9 billion, the world has struggled to produce enough food to sustain it, resulting in millions of deaths and a rapid decline in population.
In response to this crisis, governments around the world united to construct thousands of laboratories designed to produce food through genetic modifications, DNA splicing, and selective breeding of certain animals and vegetables. The goal was to create an efficient food source capable of feeding the entire human population.
After 78 years of relentless research and development, the goal was finally achieved, and the laboratories produced the most efficient food source capable of feeding the entire human population. It was called Nutrivore.
Just 10 years after its introduction, the world's governments finally declared an end to the food crisis, and people took to the streets in celebration. Thousands marched in parades, waving banners, and cheering for the end of hunger and starvation.
However, not everyone shared in the jubilation. Nexus Amaranth, an administrator at MAGMOD, observed the crowds from his car as he made his way to work. "These people truly don't know anything," he muttered.
As an administrator of MAGMOD, the research facility responsible for the creation of Nutrivore, he knew well what it was capable of. Even with its benefits as a highly nutritional food able to feed the entire population of Terra, it wasn't perfect.
Unknown to the public, it had side effects. Long-term consumption of Nutrivore could lead to brain damage and cancer in organs related to digestion. These side effects arose from Nutrivore being artificial and still undergoing testing before its public release.
The government was largely responsible for this due to their impatience in resolving the food crisis. Nutrivore was forcefully released to the public despite the side effects.
Many administrators, including him, tried to stop and question the government's rash actions, but they were silenced and forced to comply. Their only recourse was to find a solution to Nutrivore's side effects.
As he Arrived at the facility, he headed to the parking, swiftly parking his car and proceeded towards the laboratory.
Two men dressed in security guard uniforms greeted him at the entrance, requesting his ID and conducting a body scan before granting him access.
He quickly headed to his office, exchanging brief greetings with his fellow coworkers as he walked past them, finally reaching his office on the 12th floor of the building.
Inside, he was confronted with stacks of paperwork that required his attention. Six hours later, he finally completed the task, organizing the documents before calling his assistant instructing him to forward them to the Higher-ups i.e the Government.
His assistant left quickly, leaving him alone in his office.
"Finally, I can get some sleep," Nexus sighed, preparing to rest his weary eyes.
Just as he was about to close his eyes, his assistant knocked at the door, abruptly waking him up.
"What is it?" Nexus responded, a tinge of annoyance in his voice.
"Sir, there's been an emergency. The robotic system has malfunctioned and is causing damage to the products," the assistant exclaimed in a flustered manner.
Nexus was shocked by the sudden malfunction of the robotic system. He quickly ordered his assistant to shut down the power supply in the areas affected by the malfunction to prevent further damage.
Normally, such a thing shouldn't happen, considering that every machine in the facility is very advanced in terms of technology.
"It seems like the machine needs some maintenance. I should probably hire someone to check on them" he thought to himself.
Meanwhile, after receiving his order, the assistant promptly issued the command to shut down the power supply in each affected area with malfunctioning robots.
"I apologize for interrupting your sleep, sir," the assistant said, seeing the exhaustion on Nexus's face.
"No need to apologize. You were just doing your job," Nexus replied with a weary smile.
The assistant could clearly see the exhaustion etched on Nexus's face, but he knew better than to press the matter further. "Is there anything else you need me to do, sir?"
Nexus shook his head. "No, that will be all for now. Just make sure to report back to me once everything is under control."
The assistant nodded and hurried off to carry out Nexus's orders, leaving him alone in his office once again. Nexus leaned back in his chair. "Very soon, the whole human population will get sick from the side effects of Nutrivore, but the government is not doing anything about it. Sigh," he muttered in his mind.
"I hope we find the solution soon."
"Yawn," his worry was quickly drowned away as his body relaxed and he went to sleep. As he finally laid his body in a comfortable position, he began to close his tired eyes, not knowing it was his last...
---
Waking up, Nexus found himself in an unknown place. Everything around him was dark, with only a few glimmers of light.
"What's going on?, Where am I?" He shouted, confusion evident in his voice.
"Am i dreaming right now?"
As he was trying to make sense of the situation, a sudden thought surfaced in his mind.
"Could it be I'm actually dead?" A hint of disbelief could be heard in his voice as he muttered these words.
His thoughts raced, scared and in shock of the possibility.
"This can't be possible. I'm sure that I'm generally healthy. How could I possibly die? This must be a dream!" he muttered, panic present in his voice.
He tried pinching himself, but he realized that his arms had become completely translucent. In fact, his whole body had also become translucent. Not only that, he also couldn't touch any part of his body, as his hands passed through each time he tried.
This sudden turn of events left him speechless; it was simply too shocking.
After a good while, Nexus finally accepted what was happening. Although he initially thought that all of this was a dream, the shocking experiences made him realize that what was happening right now wasn't a dream but reality. Looking at his body, his muscular form had been replaced by what could only be described as a ghost.
His worldview had been completely shattered. As a man who firmly believed in science, all of this was utterly bonkers. Who would've thought that such things as souls were actually real?.
Nexus had many questions regarding his situation, but he pushed them aside for now, choosing to focus on where he was right now was his main concern.
At first, he thought he was in some sort of afterlife. However, after surveying his surroundings more clearly, he found out that he was actually in space, as evident from the stars he saw all around him.
Why was he in space? Well, he didn't know. How could he possibly know? Just as he was lost in thought, a burst of bright light suddenly came from behind him. Looking behind him, Nexus was shocked. What he was seeing right now was undoubtedly the planet Terra, where he was from.
He was completely overlooking the whole planet, clearly seeing the vast continents of Terra.
"Why the heck am i outside the planet!?"
Shouldn't i be in heaven right now, why the hell am i in space!!?"